Nowadays Juniper is considered the core botanical in gin, but what Jekka said makes sense – when times are tough you have to use what you’ve got.

She also said that as the Angelica that grew along the banks of the Thames was displaced, its production moved out to the river banks of Norfolk. A plant that loves damp places!

Learning that Angelica was the main ingredient due to its proliferation along the banks of the Thames, helps us make the connections with the London-centric names of the UK gins we buy today.

Most in our list below are named after places in London, while we also assume the more ferocious ‘Navy’ strength gins based on ‘old recipes’ are going to be that way because they have been distilled with plenty of Angelica.

The Gin Rated THE BEST IN THE WORLD

Is this one, made in the UK then mixed with Icelandic water.

See more of Martin Miller’s Westbourne Gin, the best gin the world (apparently….)

But What Are The Core Ingredients In Gin?

There are 4 main botanicals, and legally you must have Juniper involved in the process or it cannot be called distilled gin.

Angelica is next, which we spoke about above. Angelica is also used in Absinthe. (The last time I drank Absinthe I forgot how to walk. So I just had to sit and drink more absinthe…. pugnacious stuff….!)

Next comes Coriander, something you probably use quite often when cooking. Pungent, and adds a lovely extra layer of flavour to your drink.

Lastly, comes the hard working Orris Root, which you may know better as the roots of the iris plants in your garden. This botanical is used to ‘fix’ the other flavours, so they are not lost during the distilling process.

Liken its job to the ones the worms do in your soil – worms give you a healthy soil for your plants to grow in, and you only realise how important they are when you don’t have them anymore.

Lose the Orris Root from your gin, and you realise how the other botanicals no longer work.

World Gin Day

In 2017 world gin day, the day you go to town and really enjoy a glass of the stuff, is June 10th.

What Winston Churchill Said…

“The Gin and Tonic has saved more Englishmen’s lives, and minds, than all the Doctors in the Empire.”

Quite.

We have had great fun testing these UK gins over the last six months (I’m sure you can imagine!) so read below for our helpful guide on what you should be filling your glass with at Gin O’Clock….

What are the Best UK Gins for 2017?

The first is one most people know – Hendricks. It can be seen on every shelf in every bar across the UK, it has an easy flavour profile on the palate and goes down well. Too well, perhaps? Start with this if you want great quality…

Feeling adventurous? Great! Take a sip of Tarquin’s.

We spent a fantastic Christmas Eve in Cornwall trying this, alongside a few others from Cornwall. It was not my favourite, but each batch is made by Tarquin himself, he puts a huge amount of care into it and writes his own tasting notes on the fantastic bottles.

It is a gin with personality, a product really ‘of its place’ – buy it, support it, keep care and attention like this in business!

The next few are from London. London was not the originator of gin though, the Dutch first made it. The UK just stole the idea… and perfected it, if the following brands are to go by:

Boxer is dry, and can rightly consider itself the most innovative when it comes to packaging.

It is supplied by Greenbox Drinks who have ‘thought outside the bottle’ and reduced their packaging by 95%, the weight they transport by 45% and the transported volume by 63%. Just by refilling your existing bottle. It means they have completely by-passed the carbon cost of recycling glass.

Update – the Tanqueray has arrived!

A photo posted by ModernMint (@modernmintshop) on Jan 31, 2017 at 9:21am PST

And it really is lovely….

Another London dry is SW4 gin – a hard one to Google and find, because you are basically typing in a postcode – but don’t let that put you off. It has 12 botanicals and gets made in batches of 500 litres, so get in quick to make sure you can try it – SW4.

Don’t ask us to pronounce this one – it is difficult enough to spell it – but Welsh company Da Mhile is an organic spirit maker that is leading the way in producing high quality, chemical free drinks. Please do check them out and support them,as those who support organic farming are helping us make a more resilient, diverse UK.

Last of all is a Scottish distiller…

Rock Rose has regionality and its terroir at heart, using botanicals like sea buckthorn and rowan berries to give a ‘wee taste of Caithness.’ Can you taste the difference?

Other UK Gins You May Love…

Brighton Gin is another who needs a shout out, produced by two ladies in – yeah, you guessed it, Brighton.

Bombay Sapphire – well known, well loved and made in Hampshire, close to where I grew up. The difficulties of growing unusual or tender plants to use as flavourings in this gin have been spoken about by the head gardener of the firms glasshouses. He tries his best to keep healthy all of the exotic plants that go into flavouring this popular gin, but have you ever tried to grow cassia in the UK?

Feeling A Little Pink?

The boozy berries of Pinkster Gin is a tad different – we tried this last November at the Wealden Fair show we did, and it was most satisfying. So much so we took a bottle home with us at the end of the show, then bought another for a friend at Christmas. The recipe calls for raspberries, giving the gin tis distinctive look…

We also loved The Wrecking Coast Gin. Happy hour has never been so happy as the time spent with this Cornish tipple…

Hopefully this look through UK gins has given you something to think about, then hopefully taste. We were inspired by Jekka McVicar, who is such a great gardener and teacher, to explore this palette of plants and how they can be used further.

To have then found spirits made with such wide ranging ingredients as samphire, seaweed and raspberries made us grin from ear to ear. As did the time spent tasting them!

What is going to be the next great gin? What botanicals do we now grow in the UK, in enough quantity to make a viable use for them?

Fine news for beekeepers today – a total ban on bee-harming pesticides has been announced! To celebrate, here is a list of plants we recommend as being brilliant for the bees: Helenium Sedum Echium vulgare Marjoram or Oregano Eupatorium (common name? Joe Pye-Weed. But don’t let that put you off!) Borage Nepeta Veronicastrum Teucrium Bonus plants for shady spots? Try hellebore, lamium and pulmonaria. Looking for a shrub to plant near your apiary? Phillyrea ought to do it. Although it is difficult to get hold of…. we are working on making it more available though, so check back with Modern …

Hey Modern Minters, we have been busy already this year – so busy! Here is some of the topiary work we love doing so much…. A post shared by ModernMint (@modernmintshop) on Apr 5, 2018 at 9:48am PDT Whilst evenings (and some afternoons!) have been spent travelling the country giving garden talks to clubs, horticultural societies, WI’s and U3A’s. This is all fabulous fun but it has meant: We have not been consistent with our mailing list I have not finished the book ‘Helping The Honeybee’ I was due to get to the publisher by the end of February There …

This week I gave a talk – Helping The Honeybee – to the lovely beekeeping group at Southend on Sea. Here are some notes for those who didn’t have a chance to write down some of the ideas we spoke about and shared…. The Top Plants For Bees Helenium Sedum Echium Marjoram (which you will find in your seedballs) Oregano Eupatorium, also known as Joe Pye-Weed Borage Nepeta Veronicaastrum Teucrium Phillyrea If you want a hedge for around your apiary, you will not go too far wrong with planting the amazing, tough as old boots, Phillyrea. Read plenty more about …

We will definitely recommend Modern Mint... 2015-07-23T14:46:42+01:00 https://modernmint.co.uk/testimonials/m-t-chelmsford/

https://modernmint.co.uk/testimonials/m-t-chelmsford/

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